First Detection of -like and in : With Notes on -Based Phylogenetic Position and New Locality Records.

ticks transmit and species to a wide range of animals. The spreading of ticks and tick-borne pathogens has been attributed to transhumant herds, and research on these uninvestigated issues has been neglected in many countries, including Pakistan. Recently, we used internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and 16S ribosomal DNA partial sequences to genetically characterize ticks and their associated spp. However, the data on its sequence and associated spp. and spp. are missing. This study aimed to genetically characterize based on the sequence and their associated spp. and spp. The ticks were collected from small ruminants: sheep () and goats () of transhumant herds in district Shangla, Dir Upper and Chitral, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Out of 129 examined hosts, 94 (72.87%) (56 sheep and 38 goats) were infested by 352 ticks, including adult females (175; 49.7%) followed by nymphs (115; 32.7%) and males (62; 17.6%). For molecular analyses, 121 ticks were subjected to DNA isolation and PCR for the amplification of the sequence for , 18S rDNA for spp. and 16S rDNA sequences for spp. The obtained sequence showed 89.29%, 88.78%, and 88.71% identity with and , respectively. Phylogenetically, the present sequence clustered with the complex. Additionally, the 18S rDNA sequence showed 98.11% maximum identity with cf. and 97.99% identity with . Phylogenetically, spp. clustered with the cf. and . In the case of spp., the 16S rDNA sequence showed 100% identity with and phylogenetically clustered with the . PCR-based DNA detection targeting the amplification of and sequences of spp. and spp., respectively, was unsuccessful. This is the first phylogenetic report based on and new locality records of , and the associated -like and . Significant tick surveillance studies are needed in order to determine the epidemiology of ticks and their associated pathogens.